Tie Dong's angry roar seemed to make even time itself stagnate for a moment.
Just now, he had only seen that Li Yan's Divine Sense and cultivation were far beyond those of his peers. Feeling a flicker of doubt, he had paused for a moment.
His first thought was whether he should capture this cultivator. He could set aside Li Yan's cultivation method, but this person's Divine Sense shocked him.
This was simply not a Divine Sense a Foundation Establishment cultivator could possess. If the other party wasn't born with a powerful Divine Sense, then he must have a method for cultivating it.
Such an immortal art would be an object of envy in any realm.
But in just that brief moment, another Divine Sense had quietly pounced on him.
Although the power of this Divine Sense was much weaker than Tie Dong's, it was like a venomous snake hidden in the dark. It wasn't until the Divine Sense was close that Tie Dong suddenly became alert.
"A Malevolent Spirit Sect cultivator!"
Tie Dong's first thought was of the most sinister and assassination-adept sect on the Desolate Moon Continent.
But it was too late. In his haste, and with the thought of keeping Li Yan alive, he had held back in his control of his Divine Sense's power. The opponent, like a viper striking from its hole, launched a fatal attack, forcing him back a few steps.
And that kid had reacted extremely quickly. In that fleeting gap, he had already broken through and escaped.
By the time Tie Dong wanted to trap Li Yan again, that Divine Sense had once again entangled him, like a coiling serpent, annoying him to no end.
From the aura of this Divine Sense, Tie Dong also sensed that this was the same Initial-stage Nascent Soul cultivator who had previously shrouded the mountain where that kid was hiding.
Under normal circumstances, he would have taught this person a good lesson, but at this moment, it was impossible for him to shake him off instantly.
...
Let's turn back time by a dozen breaths. Behind Windy Cool Mountain, Mo Qing sat cross-legged, a grave expression on his face, in quiet discussion with a middle-aged female Nascent Soul cultivator.
On the other side, Xiao Yaoyuan was meditating with his eyes closed, his aura somewhat chaotic. As soon as his Divine Sense returned to his body, he had immediately put a crimson pill into his mouth.
Earlier, in the nameless valley, relying on his protective treasure, he had risked taking a blow from Tie Dong, who was at the same realm as him, in order to assist Mo Qing in completing the activation.
At the same time, he had also split off a wisp of his Divine Sense to sever an arm and attack another Demonic General. This was equivalent to him fighting two Nascent Soul Demonic Generals at once.
Although he was protected by a supreme magical treasure, his Divine Sense had still been injured.
An injury to one's Divine Sense was more terrifying than a physical injury. If not for the fear that his physical presence in the nameless valley would cause that female cultivator Mu to instantly retrieve the high-power magical treasures, they would not have sent only their Divine Senses there.
After all, no matter the cultivator, they needed to rely on their true body to exert their realm's true strength.
This was also why the female cultivator Mu had not become alarmed when she sensed the arrival of three Nascent Soul Divine Senses from Windy Cool Mountain.
With her true body standing guard, as long as it wasn't a Late-stage Nascent Soul Great Cultivator's Divine Sense arriving in person, she was capable of taking away the eight "Heaven-Shaking Thunders" in a short time.
After Mo Qing and the middle-aged female Nascent Soul cultivator had exchanged a few words, they both released their Divine Senses again to scan the nameless valley.
This time, Mo Qing and the other cultivator made no effort to hide their Divine Senses. Like victors inspecting their territory, they swept them directly over.
There, the female cultivator Mu was looking down at the deep crater below, silent.
She immediately sensed the arrival of their two Divine Senses again, but she just stood there in the air, not launching an attack. The fighting spirit in her eyes, however, grew thicker and thicker.
Her movements could not be faster than the speed at which the other party's Divine Senses could retreat, so attacking was meaningless.
Mo Qing and the middle-aged female Nascent Soul cultivator retracted their Divine Senses immediately after a single sweep. They had no intention of fighting that person again right now.
The two had finally confirmed that the Demon Clan's terrifying high-power magical treasures had been destroyed. The mission was complete.
At this time, Mo Qing subconsciously believed that Li Yan had already escaped. Having witnessed Li Yan's alertness and cunning, he was confident in Li Yan's ability to seize the opportunity to escape.
But even he had not expected Tie Dong's reaction to be so fast. After just a moment of collecting his thoughts, he had confirmed that the person who had been secretly causing trouble had not gone far.
And it was at this moment that Mo Qing started to look for Li Yan. This search immediately gave him a scare. Li Yan was on the brink of death.
Mo Qing's cultivation method was also that of the assassination path. So although he was anxious, his rich combat experience allowed him to remain firmly hidden, looking for the best opportunity.
Mo Qing knew that his strength was still far inferior to this Demonic General's. A protracted battle of harassment was the best strategy.
Just like that, the two exchanged dozens of blows in an instant. Although Tie Dong's Divine Sense was superior, whenever Mo Qing saw things going badly, he would immediately retreat, but his Divine Sense would linger nearby.
The moment Tie Dong wanted to pounce in Li Yan's direction, Mo Qing would entangle him again. After a few times, Tie Dong knew he could no longer capture Li Yan.
Although he could call for help, the other party was by no means alone.
And next to Tie Dong's true body, the other Demonic General had already understood Tie Dong's intention. With a cold shout, he instantly released his Divine Sense.
On Mo Qing's side, the middle-aged female Nascent Soul cultivator had already seen Mo Qing's Divine Sense venture out again and engage someone in battle. She knew he was protecting his junior.
Although she was unwilling to engage in another battle of Divine Senses with the other party, she couldn't just stand by and watch Mo Qing suffer.
Whether for the sake of the bigger picture or because of Mo Qing's status, she could not sit idly by. Thus, she also released her Divine Sense to meet the other Demonic General.
At the same time, she sent a voice transmission to the other Nascent Soul cultivators at Windy Cool Mountain to guard against any subsequent reactions that might arise from this incident.
They were not the only three Nascent Soul cultivators here. They usually didn't move out together because they were truly afraid of triggering the great battle ahead of schedule and ruining the plan.
At this time, with Xiao Yaoyuan healing, only she and Mo Qing were here. She had to be wary of other Demonic Generals making a move.
...
As Li Yan flew out, he instantly felt two more powerful Divine Senses descend from the sky. Li Yan was shocked.
'Four Nascent Soul cultivators.' He immediately sensed that those two Divine Senses also clashed without any attempt at concealment.
Li Yan immediately knew that this was to cover his escape. He had never expected that in the end, Windy Cool Mountain would dispatch two Nascent Soul cultivators for his sake.
But at this moment, how could he care about anything else? Saving his life was the most important thing. He immediately flew north with all his might. At this time, those traitorous Desolate Moon Continent cultivators had also reacted.
"He's one of their scouts!"
"Stop him!"
"Quick, surround him, kill him!"
Although they didn't know Li Yan's true identity, he was definitely an enemy scout. But at the same time, a thought arose in all their minds.
'What heaven-enraging thing did this kid do to attract a Nascent Soul's Divine Sense to kill him?'
Those with sharper minds immediately connected this to the explosion in the nameless valley just now.
'Perhaps this is related to that kid. Capturing him would be a great merit!'
The few who thought of this immediately had stars glinting in their eyes. The way they looked at Li Yan became fervent.
They were human cultivators who had betrayed the Desolate Moon Continent. If they wanted to obtain more cultivation resources, the best way was, of course, to perform great deeds for the Demon Clan.
About forty or so cultivators had escaped in their direction. The other patrolling cultivators on the outer perimeter had either fled in other directions, had not yet gathered, or had been smashed to death by the rain of stones.
And among these forty-odd people was one Golden Core cultivator. He had already figured out why Li Yan had appeared here.
A cold smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and with a flicker of his body, he rushed towards Li Yan.
For a time, the recently quieted night was once again lit up with lights of various colors, but this time, they were all directed at Li Yan.
There were not many cultivators in the direction Li Yan had chosen. And in his desperate flight, his "Phoenix Soars to the Heavens" movement skill was already being pushed to its limit. So the cultivator in front of him only saw a blur before the figure was gone, leaving him standing there in a daze.
At this time, there were still three people in front of Li Yan. He had no intention of getting entangled. With a sharp, small-angle turn, he left two of them behind, leaving only their curses in his wake.
The other person was an earth-attribute cultivator. He was also clever. As Li Yan was about to approach, he instantly cast a technique he had prepared long ago.
In the air ahead of Li Yan's escape route, a long earthen wall, a full thousand feet wide, appeared in an instant.
Li Yan was flying at an incredible speed, and it was a bit too late to dodge again. Li Yan just narrowed his eyes, and with a flash of silver light around his body, he slammed directly into the earthen wall.
"BOOM!"
With a loud bang, a human-shaped hole had appeared in the earthen wall. Through the hole, Li Yan's figure was rapidly disappearing into the deep night.
The earth-attribute cultivator only had time to let out a muffled grunt before he tumbled from the clouds.
After his immortal art was forcefully broken, he suffered a severe backlash. The Spirit Power controlling the spell suddenly reversed and slammed into his Dantian, knocking him unconscious on the spot.
Not only was he surprised, but even the cultivators chasing from behind were stunned. They had not expected Li Yan to be so ferocious. Earth-attribute cultivators were known for their amazing defense, and this person, in particular, was a top master among them.
How had the "Earth Wall Art," which they had always regarded as unshakable, become as fragile as a thin sheet of paper?
At this moment, a long rainbow, as fast as lightning, also surpassed the others and, locking onto Li Yan, gave chase.
It was that Golden Core cultivator. He was a wind-attribute cultivator, extremely skilled in speed, and his cultivation had already reached the Golden Core realm. At such a close distance, Li Yan was unable to shake him off for the moment.
This was an Initial-stage Golden Core cultivator, much weaker than Zheng Xingfan in terms of realm. But his strange, evasive speed made even Zheng Xingfan and the others unwilling to fight him.
Under normal circumstances, Li Yan wouldn't necessarily be afraid of him, but at this moment, he dared not entertain the thought of stopping for even a moment.
The Nascent Soul cultivator from Windy Cool Mountain who had saved him had clearly told him that he couldn't hold on for too long. His strength was naturally weaker than the Demonic General who wanted to kill him.
A few breaths later, just as Li Yan had flown over a hundred li away, a female voice sounded in his ear again. This voice was extremely magnetic, not delicate, but very resonant.
"A few little tricks. It must have been you who poisoned Zhong Mengyin?"
The fleeing Li Yan's body trembled, but he still said nothing and charged forward with all his might. He recognized this as the voice of the Demonic General from the nameless valley earlier. It was only then that he knew a female Demonic General had been stationed there.
Since two Nascent Soul Divine Senses from Windy Cool Mountain had already appeared, Li Yan certainly hoped a third would appear again.
Otherwise, whether he answered or begged for mercy, the result would be the same.
The moment the female Demonic General's Divine Sense wrapped around Li Yan, it suddenly paused. At the same time, the four figures of Tie Dong and Mo Qing, who were fighting with their Divine Sense phantasms in the sky, all suddenly stopped their battle.
A thousand zhang high above the nameless valley, the female Demonic General surnamed Mu stared intently to the south. In her senses, a large number of cultivators had suddenly appeared five thousand li away.
There were more than a thousand of them. It was a large giant boat, and on it, there were at least fifty Golden Core cultivators alone.
What shocked the female Demonic General Mu was that at the very front of the giant boat, four powerful Nascent Soul auras were soaring into the sky. Each of these four auras was no weaker than hers, and one of them even surpassed her cultivation.
Correspondingly, in the direction of Windy Cool Mountain, powerful auras suddenly shot into the sky one after another, and figures streaked across the night sky, flying into the high altitudes.
A majestic voice echoed through the sky and the earth.
"All cultivators at Golden Core and above, prepare for a decisive battle!"